Fleur De Mon Coeur
by SkyKnight0710
Summary: Takes place during the Goblet of Fire, No death of Cedric Diggory. Fleur comes to Hogwarts to take part in the Triwizard Tournament not realising that her life is going to change drastically, by the simple presence of Hogwarts' All Time Smartest Witch, Hermione Granger, who she finds to be her lifelong mate.
1. Seeing You For The First Time

**A/N:**

Alright, so the setting for this story is different that the main one, mostly based on age here. Here, the Hogwarts trio and Fleur as well are in 4thth year for the Goblet of Fire. Krum is in 5thyear.

Being gay or bisexual is something accepted in the magical world. They have absolutely no problem with it, it's like normal to them. If magic is fluid, why not sexuality? Only people that are against it are those that are not accepting to anything except pure blood wizards, they do not accept muggles, gays, beasts or half breeds…etc

Muggles are different, their opinions to it are the same as what we have in the world currently. That's all for the summary of prejudice in the universe.

In this fanfic, Ron and Krum are portrayed as asses, gits and pricks. I'm taking my frustration out in the fanfic. I just don't like the fact that they took Hermione from me :'( Jokes apart, I don't understand why JKR put such an amazing brain as Hermione with two headless chicken.

I apologise to all Ron and Krum fans BUT villains were needed for this fanfic and what best to sacrifice other than two headless chicken? I won't even have to behead them :D

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and the materials that were taken from Harry Potter but the plot, the story is mine :)**

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**Seeing You For The Very First Time**

**Hogwarts Grounds…**

They had been standing for quite a while outside in the courtyard, with Headmaster Dumbledore, of Hogwarts castle, on the grounds overlooking the Black Lake that came into Hogwarts lands. The Gryffindor trio had heard that they were supposed to be expecting two other schools joining them that year. They could see Hagrid with what seemed like bright sparking red flares in both his hands standing in one of the large plains beside the lake, right next to the forest.

"Ah, here comes Durmstrang!" said Dumbledore, pointing at the lake.

The students turned to find what looked like a small sailboat, with a short mast and only one sail spread out, gliding on the water of the Black Lake.

"It's small" pointed out Ron, flanked by Harry and Hermione.

No sooner had the words left his mouth that the water around the boat started bubbling and the boat itself rose higher as if the water was pushing it upward. The water started cascading around the boat like waterfalls, revealing more masts till a full battleship, emerged from underneath the Black Lake much to the astonishment of the students watching. The ship was square rigged and its sails were released to full, powering the boat closer. After the ship had come close enough, the students could see anchors being thrown out and rowboats being lowered down from the deck.

"And there is Beauxbatons!" called out Dumbledore, looking up at the sky.

"It's a dragon!" shouted one boy, looking at the large object looming in the sky.

But it was not. As the object flew closer, the students could start to discern, what was, a very large powder blue and white carriage being drawn by a dozen powerful Abraxan horses. The horses were flapping their large wings, pulling the carriage closer as the Hogwarts students watch in awe and fear. Hagrid started to make weird directional gestures with his flares as the horses went over him to land and gallop on the soggy plain.

"Wow" voiced out a few as they watched the horses stopped and lower their wings, neighing, leaving the carriage, fully stopped, gleaming in the bright England sun that was out that day.

"Let's go inside to greet them properly." Directed Dumbledore as he turned on his heel to enter the castle. Teachers around, manoeuvred the overexcited students into the Great Hall.

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**The Great Hall...**

The place was bustling with voice and excitement. It was so palpable that it could be felt in the air. The Hogwarts students were eager to meet the foreigners.

A small tap of a wand in the front of the Hall turned all head to Dumbledore, who had gotten up from his seat to address the students.

"Dear students of Hogwarts. We have the privilege this year to have amongst us, students from two prestigious foreign schools. I would like to announce our newcomers. To honour us with their presence are the Warriors of Durmstrang Institute with their Headmaster, Karkaroff" announced Dumbledore. The massive oak doors swung open and in came, marching into the hall, the Durmstrang headmaster and his boys dressed in blood red robes with heavy fur cloaks and military styled trooper hats. In their right hands, their staffs sparked fire at every rhythmic synchronised knock on the floor while in their left arms, they held armour shields that depicted their school crests. A fire phoenix was conjured by one of the students, gliding over their heads before exploding into a ball of fire and sparks in front of Professor Dumbledore with a piercing cry. The Bulgarians stopped in front of the hall with their Headmaster, Karkaroff being greeted by Dumbledore. Hogwarts students clapped and whooped as they seated themselves at the Slytherin table. The Hall was bustling with sounds of delight as everyone was pinpointing the seeker of the National Bulgarian Team, Victor Krum that was amongst them.

"And now may I present to you, coming from France, the musketeers of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic with their Headmistress, Madame Maxime!" the voice of Dumbledore boomed into the Great Hall as the gigantic oak doors swung open and a delegation of girls entered, their steps echoing around the hall as their knee high black leather boots hit the floor in sync. They were paired, walking beside each other.

They were all dressed in azure blue jackets with fancy gold and blue puff shoulders and navy blue full-length stretch trousers. Fluttering behind them were midnight blue lined capes, embroidered with a large Beauxbatons school crest. Each girl had a musket? No, seems they upgraded to a two feet carbine, strapped to their backs. Their jackets were secured to their waists by thick dark buckskin belts, each with a silver school crest buckle, which had attached on the side, a rapier each in its scabbard. On their head, they wore Cavalier's hats, adorned with a silvery plume. One of the girls in front was different from the others. Her belt buckle was gold instead of silver and a gold Fleur de Lys was sewn onto her right chest of her jacket. Instead of one, she had two rapiers secured on each side of the hips.

All the girls pulled out their rapiers, turned to face their side partners and clanged their weapons together, above their heads while tapping their feet to the flow rhythmically, the scrapping metal creating spark showers.

Then a shot was heard and all the girls lined up on each side of the path, sheathing their swords and bowing to one knee. Students looked at what had created the sound and eyes widened as they found a huge gigantic woman, dressed in what could be called a larger and more embellished version of what the girls were wearing, for it had a longer jacket, incrusted with gems. The giantess held in her extended hand, a smoking old hand-gun.

The giant woman, holstered her pistol and walked towards Dumbledore, each pair of student standing up and lining up behind the Headmistress as she passed them.

Fleur had reigned in the awe that she felt as soon as she entered the massive hall with the sky reflected onto its ceiling and candles floating all around. With practiced ease of a well-trained athlete, she performed her steps of the entrance number without problem. As she finished the entrance number in sync with her schoolmates, she could feel the weight of hundreds of eyes on her. The Veela in her sure did attract a lot of attention. Dumbledore kissed the hand of her headmistress Madame Maxime and directed them to sit at the Ravenclaw table.

No sooner had she seated herself at the table, when she felt the Veela in her, scream in excitement as her vision robbed her of all breath.

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"BLIMEY! She's gorgeous!" gasped Ron, sitting at the Gryffindor table with his mouth agape.

Hermione, turning her head from the giant woman to face the redhead, wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight in front of her. "Close your mouth Ron! It's disgusting!" she scolded, throwing a napkin at the boy so he could wipe the droll that was dripping off his chin. Looking back up, she saw the performance to the end and realised, as the Beauxbatons girls seated themselves at the Ravenclaw table, that most of the boys were having glazed and drooling faces similar to Ron. Eyed past Ginny to see which one of the Beauxbatons girls exactly they were looking at. Her eyes met icy blue.

She could not object for the girl, the one with the golden Fleur De Lys on her jacket, was indeed gorgeous, with silver blonde hair framing the fair skinned face and a pair of icy blue eyes, piercing from under the brim of her plumed hat but something about her rubbed Hermione wrong. Mostly the fact that all the boys were behaving like gits as soon as they saw her. _I mean, yeah she is pretty but no need to drool! _She was also largely unhappy because Ron was behaving like the biggest git of all. He had asked her out a few days ago and she had accepted. He had then tried to kiss her but she had put a stop to it, saying she wasn't ready yet and needed time which ended up in Ron asking a lot of 'whys' and 'who needs to be ready for a simple kiss?' till he pissed her off and she just walked away. Now he was already looking at someone else?! _Jerk. _Sending a murderous glare to the azure eyes that were still on her, she turned her attention back to the book she had opened in front of her, still keeping an ear on her friends' conversation.

"Oh, why don't make them like that in Hogwarts?" sighed the redhead, "I would have totally asked her out!"

Harry squirmed in his seat, knowing full well that Hermione was listening. He had no answer to Ron's comments. While he loved the guy as a brother, the redhead could be a dick sometimes. He knew that Hermione had accepted him as her boyfriend after he had asked her out but hadn't been ready to kiss him. Ron said that she had 'asked for time, whatever that means. What would you need time for?! It's just a bloody kiss!' Ron's words not his own. But with the way he was behaving and talking, Harry felt like his friend's relationship with the bushy browned haired girl wasn't going to last long. _I so don't want to get in the middle of this._

"Oh Harry! I can't believe we have Victor Krum in our school for a year!" shouted Ron, elbowing his dark haired friend in the ribs with eagerness. Harry sighed in relief, happy for the topic change.

"Yeah I can't believe it either." Harry replied, a little excited about the world class player himself, which prompted Ron to start his rambling about the Quidditch player.

Looking to where Ron's eyes were glued, Hermione saw the Bulgarian Seeker she had watched when she was at the World Cup with the boys. The guy turned and met her eyes with a weird look. A shiver ran across Hermione's spine in response. _Creepy…_

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Fleur was shook out of her daze by the glare sent her way. Taking her hat off, she turned to look behind her, finding the Slytherin table. _Did she glare at me or at someone behind me? …Can't be me, she doesn't know me yet. _Pleased with her reasoning, she focused back onto the bushy browned hair girl at the Gryffindor table. The more she stared, the more she couldn't believe her eyes. _She is simply magnificent! __Quelle __beauté. _The chocolate eyes from the other table met with her own again and she averted her eyes to stare at the wood grain patterns on the table, tracing them gently with her fingers, while blushing bashfully, the pink spreading onto her pale cheeks as a sheepish smile broke onto her face.

Alexia Delacour turned to her weirdly behaving cousin next to her. **« Qu'est-ce que tu fais, Fleur? »** ["What are you doing, Fleur? "]

**« Huh? Moi? Rien. »** ["Huh? Me? Nothing."] Fleur kept her focus on the wood of the table.

Looking up to where her friend had been stealing looks at earlier, she saw Harry Potter talking to other Gryffindors, a redhead guy and a brown haired girl. _Probably his friends._

**« Est ce que ce garçon roux te plait or est ce que c'est Harry Potter ? »** ["Do you like the redhead guy or is it Harry Potter?"] Alexia asked, now amused at the thought.

Fleur's head whipped to her direction so fast, Alexia felt it was going to detach from her neck and fly away. **« Mais de quoi est-ce tu parles?! Je ne suis pas intéressée de ces garçons! »** ["But what are you talking about?! I'm not interested in those boys!"]

**« Hmm… »** turning to look back at the Gryffindor table, she found a bushy haired girl looking at her friend warily. **« Alors, est ce que c'est la brunette qui te regarde?** » ["Then is it the brunette who is looking at you? "]

**« Elle me regarde?! »** ["She is looking at me?!"] She exclaimed, turning to look back at the Gryffindor table and as soon as the chocolate eyes met hers, she blushed hotly and went back to inspecting the wood of the table.

Alexia would have laughed out right at the faces her normally stoic cousin was making, it was hilarious! With a highly pleased face, she grasped Fleur's chin and made her look at her. **« Alors, c'est la brunette! »** ["So, it is the brunette!"] Looking at the furiously blushing face in front of her, she patted the red cheek before adding **« Pas mal, elle est belle! » **["Not bad, she is beautiful!"]

Fleur felt like her face was going to stay on fire for the whole time. She could see her other classmates who had been listening to the conversation between her and her cousin, giggling, turning to eye the brunette on the other table and congratulating her on her good choice. _God, they are so insufferable! No matter how much I love them! _She huffed and buried her face in her folded arms on the table. The giggling and whispering around her just intensified.

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Hermione had been warily watching the blue eyed blonde when she had turned red and averted her eyes. Then she saw how one of the other Beauxbatons girls started speaking to her and soon enough, she had the other girl's eyes on her. It made her more wary. She observed some more as the conversation between the two French girls progressed, the blonde getting redder and redder. _Was she getting angry? _And in a matter of second, she was having most of her Beauxbatons students' eyes on her, peaking at her or even blatantly staring while giggling.

_What in the bloody hell is so funny?! _She huffed, breaking her gaze from the Ravenclaw table. She turned her attention to Ginny, Ron and Harry as they talked about Quidditch and Victor Krum when the doors opened again and in came Barty Crouch, giving a small nod to Dumbledore as he walked to settle himself in one of the empty chairs next to the headmaster.

"Now that all our guests are present. I would like to say that Quidditch this year is going to be different from the other years. Instead of it being a competition between four houses, we will be joined by the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang teams for some healthy competition…"

"Oh Harry, there is no way any other team than Durmstrang is winning! They have Victor Krum!" said Ron, thrilled to be getting the chance to see his idol in action at such a close range.

The murmurs of "not fair!" and "Victor Krum" that were erupting from the Hogwarts tables were an indication that a lot of minds were thinking alike.

"Also, "continued Dumbledore, silencing the students around him, "I would like to announce that Hogwarts has been chosen for the honour of hosting and inaugurating the reinsertion of the Triwizard Tournament. It is a legendary event, consisting of three champions being chosen from the three different schools to perform three different tasks. It had been put on hold for the last hundred years due to casualties having occurred during the tasks which is why the Ministry of Magic is keeping a close eye on the event this year to make sure that the difficulty of the tasks are held while the safety of students is put above all." Voices erupted again all over the Great Hall.

With a flick of his hand, the cloak that had been hiding an inconspicuous object at the corner of the hall fell down, revealing a goblet, holding a blue flame, on a pedestal.

"As I said, for the safety of students, there have been changes implemented into the Tournament. I leave Mr Barty Crouch, from the Ministry of Magic to give you more details on the rule and regulations" finished Dumbledore as he went back to his seat and Crouch took his place in front of the assembly of students.

"As Dumbledore said, the Ministry of Magic has added new rules and regulations to the Tournament to make sure of the survivability of students participating. The Triwizard Tournament is a dangerous competition. Anyone willing to participate must be at least in their fourth year at their respective schools…" The statement was met with a lot of groans from the younger students "To enter the Tournament, simply write your name on a piece of parchment and feed it to the flames. An age shield ward has been added around the Goblet to ensure that no one under the age limit prescribed can enter the Tournament. Like I said before, this Tournament is a dangerous one and if one is chosen as a Champion to represent his or her school, one is legally and magically bound in a contract to participate in the Tournament, there is no quitting which is why I advise students to think carefully before putting their names into the Goblet of Fire. Thank you" he said before returning to his seat.

"Now that everything has been explained. I wish you a good dinner" said Dumbledore.

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Plates and bowls of food popped onto the table, shocking the foreign students around. Checking the menu, they were pleased to find that it didn't only consist of English food but also food from their own home country. Soon the hall was filled with the din of cutlery and conversation as everyone started their dinner.

"What is that?" asked Ron, eyeing the pot of 'soup' in front of him warily.

"It is bouillabaisse" responded Hermione, reaching out to her cup of pumpkin juice to take a sip.

"Bless you." replied Ron.

"It's French" said Hermione exasperated, "It's really good. I had it when I was in holiday in France."

"I'll take your word for it." Murmured Ron, reaching for his tradition English grub while Harry asked Hermione, "You have been to France?"

"Yes. I went there when I was…"

"Excusez moi?" ["Excuse me?"]

The lilting voice in front the Trio made them look up. There, in front of them was standing the French girl that everyone was drooling about. _She sure is more beautiful up close, _thought Hermione.

"Yes, how may we help you?" asked Harry politely. Hermione was pleased to see that he was one of the rare boys who was not salivating over the blonde. Ron, on the other hand, had turned purple and was already having his mouth contents dribbling all over him.

Shyly, the French blonde continued, "My name iz Fleur Delacour and I wanted to know if you 'ave finished wiz ze Bouillabaisse. Our table seems to 'ave run out" Fleur asked politely with a prominent French accent.

"I am Harry Potter and these are my friends, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and her brother Ron Weasley." Presented Harry smilingly, where Ginny gave a small smile, Ron kept staring with his mouth agape while Hermione folded her arms over her chest and gave a small nod.

"You can have the Bouillabaisse." Grumbled Hermione, grabbing the pot and shoving it into the French's hands.

"It was delicious!" commented Ron forcefully.

"Zank you. It waz nice meeting you, Monsieur Potter and Weazley and also Mademoiselle Weazley and Granger" said Fleur, giving a polite bow to the people in front of her with a small smile before turning to return to her table.

"Holy hell! She said my name!" exclaimed Ron with awe as he stared at the blonde, walking away.

"She only said your surname, you daft! And I have the same surname as you" said Ginny, appalled by the way her brother was behaving.

Soon dinner was over, the rest of it having been spent listening to Ron's raving about the blonde girl. Hermione and Ginny separated themselves from the redhead to walk back to their Common Hall. Harry, on the other hand, was stuck with Ron trying to get a last glance of Fleur as she exited the Great Hall to go back to the Beauxbatons carriage, which also served as the girls' sleeping quarters.

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**Inside The Beauxbatons Carriage…**

Settling in her bed, under her covers, Fleur relished the warmth. The walk back to the carriage had been unpleasant for the weather in England was mostly cold at this time of the year. Something the students of Beauxbatons hadn't taken into consideration when they wore their uniforms. Their uniforms, adapted to the weather they had at Beauxbatons which was situated in the warmer region of France, were thin and not made to brave the cold of England. She even had to change from her usual sleepwear of tank top and shorts to a pair of thick warm pants and a long sleeved shirt. Guess she will have to wear more layers underneath her uniform from now on and a thick cloak instead of the usual cape.

She had just bid her younger sister, Gabrielle, goodnight. The younger blonde was like a mischievous smaller copy of her with lighter silver blonde hair but darker blue eyes. Gabrielle had been sitting at the other end of the Beauxbatons students talking shyly to one senior girl she admired but had managed to hear the gossip about the bushy brown haired girl that Fleur had started to fancy at first sight and had wanted the details as soon as they had exited the castle. Fleur had managed to calm the excitement of her sister, telling her that she was tired and would explain later. She didn't even know herself what was it all about, how could she explain it to her sibling?

Burrowing deeper into her blanket, Fleur's mind went back to the Gryffindor with the most beautiful chocolate eyes she had ever seen. _'Ermione Granger… _The name sent a chill over the spine and she shivered. The name was beautiful and suited the beautiful girl. The Veela didn't know what exactly she was feeling. All her childhood, her grandmother and mother had explained to her about the ways of the Veela and a lot about how Veelas had only one mate for a lifetime and that she would know as soon as she saw the person, who would be unaffected by her thrall. Her feelings have been jumbled since she set her eyes on the Gryffindor girl. She wasn't sure if the girl was unaffected by her thrall for there was different types of behaviours that her thrall triggered in people;

The glazed eye awe and lust that affected both boys and girls but also the deep seated jealousy and envy that affected mostly girls that she was unfamiliar with. As soon as she became friends with someone, the effects of the thrall would diminish onto the person. There was also people that were only mildly affected by her thrall like Harry Potter, who had blushed a little bit when she had talked to him but that was it, same for Ginny Weasley which her maman had explained is due to those people already liking someone else. Or just people not affected at all, other Veelas and her mate set in that category.

Hermione's behaviour, on the other side, had been different. Fleur hadn't felt any envy or jealousy from the girl yet she couldn't determine why the girl had glared and been abrupt with her. She had been hurt by the behaviour of the girl but had managed to hide it behind her small smile. Fleur felt scared. Scared, that the brown haired girl just simply didn't like her. She knew what her heart was telling her but she was having trouble wrapping her mind around it. _Could it be…? Have I found my one…? I wish grand-mère and maman were here… I should maybe write to them soon. _Sighing, she closed her eyes, one last thought in her mind as she drifted to sleep, _'Ermione…._

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**A/N:**

**That's it for today. If you see mistakes, point them out to me. If you like the fic, I would really appreciate a review. If you have questions, ask them in the review, I'll reply within the best of my ability. To guest reviews, I'll reply in the next chapter.**

Thank you to all people reading and following this fic. I love your support. Have a nice read :)

~ Sky


	2. Love Hurts

**A/N:**

**I WANT TO ADD THAT I HAD TROUBLE WITH THIS CHAPTER. THE WEBSITE KEPT CUTTING WORDS ALL OVER THE PLACE BY ITSELF, RANDOMLY . IF YOU FIND ANY ERROR. INFORM ME. **

**Second Chapter Up!**

Hope you all like it! I liked it but hey, I know not everyone likes what I like (-.-)

I've realised that the fleurmione database is pretty much non existent (TT_TT) . I don't really read Hermione with anyone else. I'm a monogamy preacher :D When I read, I form a fantasy world where any couple that I'm reading about, fall in love, get married, have babies and such. It is not possible for me to read them with anyone else. It doesn't fit my fantasy world. So yeah, it's like that.

I know I am missing some great literatures like that but it's in my nature. It's painful to read stories on different couples. It breaks my fragile heart, makes me feel like I'm the one being unfaithful :'( Yeah, I know. I'm weird o.O

**Reviewers! I have responses for you after the chapter! Give it a look! And review this chapter as well :D Love to hear from you all!**

Without any further ado, coming up is Second Chapter of "Fleur De Mon Coeur", Love Hurts...

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**Love Hurts…**

The next week was spent fairly quietly for Fleur, feeling a bit better now that she had added a few layers to her usual uniform. The hat that she had left in her room as it is only used for ceremonies and such. The only excitement of the week were the moments of eagerness as students from the three schools dropped their names into the Goblet. She had seen the redhead, Ron, do it while a very displeased Hermione looked on. '_I wonder why she looks so annoyed', _Fleur contemplated.

Harry, on the other side, had just shook his head when Ron had told him to put his name as well. He believed he had had enough brushes with death as it is. '_No need to go looking for trouble now.'_ He mused.

Fleur had kept stealing glances at the Gryffindor table during breakfast, lunch and dinner time, her sister having decided to sit with her as from now, asking tons of questions that she didn't have answers to. She had written her letters to her grand-mère and maman as soon as she could and had entrusted her female gyrfalcon, Artemis, with the mail. She desperately needed answers. She had also observed the girl carefully and saw that she spent a lot of time in the Hogwarts' library. That explains why she was currently sitting in said library, hiding behind a book, watching the brunette engrossed in a thick tome at a table in a corner, somewhat secluded by a few bookcases.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered all the courage she could find in every cell of her body and stood up, walking to the brunette, briefly noticing Krum, from the corner of her eyes, who was standing behind one of the bookcases.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Granger. It iz a pleazure to see you again." Said Fleur, giving her best smile.

Hermione looked up from her book when the accented voice reached her ears. Frowning lightly, she curtly replied, "Hello, Miss Delacour," before concentrating back at her book.

"Ah, please call me Fleur. May I sit 'ere?" asked Fleur, clasping her hands together to stop herself from fidgeting.

Looking back at the blonde, Hermione tried her best not to roll her eyes. She just nodded before going back again to her reading.

Fleur was feeling quite uncomfortable with the way the girl was dismissing her so fast but she persevered. Seating herself onto the bench facing the girl, "What iz it that you are reading, Mademoiselle Granger?" she asked conversationally. She wanted so badly for Hermione to talk to her.

"Advanced Charms, Tome Ten by Neil Alderwidge" muttered Hermione, "and you can call me Hermione." Hearing Mademoiselle Granger was raking onto her nerves. _Can't she see she is disturbing me? _Her frown deepened.

"'Ermione" voiced out Fleur for the first time. She had known the name since the first day but never said it and now she loved the way it tasted in her mouth, "Izn't zat a lot more advanced?"

Lifting her head, Hermione was about to go into a rant about the fact that she was knowledgeable enough to read it when she saw the sincere curiosity in the cerulean eyes in front of her. "I have already read it a lot of times and mastered everything in it. I love Charms and this is the highest level tome I could find. I have already read everything else."

Amazed by the intelligence and the skill of the Gryffindor, Fleur could only stare. She loved Charms as well and have already read the book herself. The spells in it were complicated and here there was, a girl same as her, having mastered it all. "I am very impressed, 'Ermione! Ze spells in it are very difficult."

"You have read it? It is 7th year material." Hermione asked, sceptically.

"Ah, I am ze same as you. I love Charms and studied zose spells a year ago." Explained Fleur, happy that they had something in common.

Hermione nodded, impressed by the admission of the blonde. She had rarely met people that had mastered spells so above their year but still, that was not enough for her to stop feeling the dislike she had for the blonde.

Seeing that the girl had gone silent, Fleur felt like the discussion was dying. Searching her brain for something to say she came up with, "'Ave you 'eared about ze book 'Ultimate Charms' by Anaquinn Dyagronn?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Hermione excitedly, "that is the most amazing book for Charms! There are only a few copies of that!" she said, nearly bouncing off her seat, "I have looked for it but they don't have it here in Hogwarts" she sighed, shoulder drooping, "I even tried to find one to buy but there is no copy on the market" she said dejectedly.

"Ah, it iz indeed a rare book." Answered Fleur, smiling at the idea that popped into her head. She was about to say something else when the bell rang, announcing the start of next period.

"Fleur, I have to go to my next class. It was nice talking to you" lied Hermione, trying to keep face neutral as she packed her stuff. Fleur didn't notice.

"It waz nice talking to you too, 'Ermione" replied Fleur happily as she watched the girl leave the library.

Dinner that evening had been fairly pleasant. Fleur, being in a good mood, had taken the courage to try some of the English dishes available on the Ravenclaw table, smiling at the Gryffindor table each time her eyes would meet chocolate brown.

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The next day, Fleur knew, from her observations last week, in which period she would be able to find the brunette in the library. She had just finished Transfiguration class and was walking in the hallways to said library. She could not stop smiling, thinking about the package she had in her bag.

No sooner she walked into the place that she saw the brown haired girl at her same table, writing on a piece of parchment accompanied by Harry Potter. Fleur didn't let that deter her approach. She walked towards the table, remarking Krum sitting a few tables away.

"Bonjour Monsieur Potter. Bonjour 'Ermione" she greeted the table's occupants with a smile.

"Hello Miss Delacour" smiled Harry. Hermione looked up from her work with a grimace.

"Oh please call me Fleur"

"Then call me Harry." Replied the boy.

"Ok 'Arry. What are you two doing?" she asked, interestedly peering in the parchments scattered on the table.

"We are writing our essay for Potions." Grumbled Hermione, getting annoyed at the interruption of the French girl.

"Ah, I 'ope it iz going well. 'Ermione, I 'ave somezing…." Started Fleur as she rummaged through her bag.

"No, it is not going well" Hermione cut her off, "As you can see, you are disturbing us." She pointed out irritably.

Harry looked at her, shocked. He could not believe the way his friend was speaking. She had never been so rude to someone for nothing before.

"Oh…" Hurt flashed into the cerulean eyes, "I am sorry. I shall leave you to your work." Apologised Fleur softly, bowing before turning to leave.

She then remembered the package inside her bag. Taking it out, she turned back to the brunette, who was already back to writing on her parchment and said "I just 'ave to give you…"

"Lord! Didn't I just tell you to stop disturbing me!?" yelled Hermione, eyes blazing with anger, pissed that the French couldn't get a hint that she didn't want her presence around her.

Fleur froze. Her heart constricted sharply with pain and her eyes misted, blurring her vision. Harry froze stunned, eyes wide, aghast by Hermione's behaviour.

"I...I am…so..sorry," stammered Fleur, "I..I…just…wanted…" taking a deep breath, she exhaled and composed herself before finishing, "for you to 'ave zis" Placing the package gently onto the table, the blonde walked briskly out of the library.

Hermione sat staring at the exit Fleur had made before looking at the package in front of her. It was of rectangular shape, wrapped in light blue paper with a silver bow on top.

"That was really harsh, Hermione" said Harry, baffled at his friend's behaviour.

"Uh…" Hermione was speechless, her eyes still locked on the package.

Checking the time, Harry said, "It is time for my Quidditch practice. I need to go." He said as he started shoving his things into his bag.

"Uhm, I'll see you later at dinner, Hermione" he said, not knowing what else he could say. Hermione just nodded silently and with that, Harry left the library to go to the Quidditch pitch.

Hermione kept staring at the gift on the table for a few minutes before she took the courage to take it into her hands, it was thick and heavy. She saw a card tapped to it. Opening it, it read:

_I hope you enjoy it. It is yours now._

_~ Fleur_

Carefully tugging at the bow and unwrapping the paper, she inhaled sharply at seeing what she held in her hands. It was a blue leather hardcover tome, reading '_Ultimate Charms - Anaquinn Dyagronn_'. It looked like a well-loved book. The pages were yellowed and the corners looked used, like someone had turned those pages countless times. Opening it, her eyes opened wide at the words, '_First Edition'_. In her hand, she held a priceless book. There were only a few copies left of this book and they were rare and expensive. A first edition was rarer than rare. Her hands tightened onto the book, heart filled up with guilt at the way she had just treated the blue eyed blonde. Turning one more page, she gasped loudly at the words written there:

_Ce livre appartient à Fleur Delacour. __N'y toucher pas! :)_

_[This book belongs to Fleur Delacour. Do not touch it! :) ]_

The words were obviously French but it was the way they were written that dumbfounded her. It was in a childish scrawl, a bit faded with a childish smiley doodle at the end.

Underneath it was written:

_This book now belongs to Hermione Granger. :D_

The new words were fresh, the ink sharp against the old page, written in elegant cursive penmanship and the smiley was funny, a lot better drawn than the last one.

The guilt that descended on her heart nearly suffocated her. She couldn't believe how she had treated the girl. Fleur had done nothing to her and had been polite and kind each time and yet she had let an unfounded dislike creep into her heart and had hurt the girl badly. Tears dripped down her face and she hastily wiped them so as not to wet the precious book. Nobody had even gifted her something so priceless. It wasn't the price or the rarity of the item that moved her. It was the fact that she had been gifted a book that was very well loved by its previous owner. She knew how hard it was to part from a favourite book and for Fleur to have done that so easily for her… She couldn't imagine….Reverently closing the book, she slid it carefully into her bag and decided to pack to go find the blonde to apologise profusely.

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**The Black Lake…**

After running from the library, Fleur found herself sitting close to the lake that was on the Hogwarts's ground, far from where the Durmstrang ship was anchored. The ground was cold and wet and there was a chilly wind blowing but she didn't care. The water from the ground was seeping into her clothes while her cloak gave little protection against her harsh wind. The mind was telling her that she was supposed to be feeling cold but yet she felt none of it. All she could feel was acute pain and it was all centred in her heart.

The wind was whipping her hair and wiping her silent tears harshly from her face. It was getting darker as dinner time approached but she saw no difference, she couldn't see clearly anyway, her tears blurring her vision. She felt like she no more needed answers from her mother and grandmother because the pain finally clued her in.

_I love her…and she hates me. _The thought itself was intensely painful.

She sat there for hours, skipping dinner and even waiting till all the Beauxbatons girls had already gone back to the carriage and into their rooms before she slipped inside her own room silently, spending the rest of the night in soundless tears. Sleep eluded her.

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Hermione had looked everywhere. She had even asked a few of the Beauxbatons student she had come across while running in the hallways if they had seen Fleur but no one had seen the elusive French blonde. She had thought, after searching to no avail, that she would see the girl at dinner time and had even formulated a plan on how to approach and apologise to the girl but yet, no sign of Fleur as she sat herself at the Gryffindor table.

Dinner had been a quiet affair, with Harry not prompting her for a conversation for fear that she would reach the same way she had done with Fleur earlier while Hermione just tuned out Ron. Pushing her food around on her plate, Hermione excused herself early to go back to her dorm, she wasn't feeling hungry anyway.

As she changed and climbed into her bed, she drew closed the curtains around the four poster bed. Her stomach was upset, her heart was upset. She was feeling so guilty to have treated Fleur so badly. She didn't even know why she did it. She even felt bad that Fleur had skipped dinner which, she was sure, was because of her. _Do they have food in their carriage? Did she go to sleep on an empty stomach..? I made her cry… Her eyes were misted over when she left the library…_

The thoughts didn't help and kept on adding onto her conscience. That night, Hermione didn't sleep.

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**The Next Day…**

The next morning, Fleur knew that she couldn't skip breakfast for the Beauxbatons girls all gathered in front of the carriage with Madame Maxime to go to the castle for food. Changing into a clean uniform, she checked herself into the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Everyone would asked what happened.

Sure, they all asked, even the headmistress and she came up with the excuse that she was probably coming down with a cold from the harsh weather in England. They all bought the excuse, expect Alexia and Gabrielle who were looking at her with concerned and questioning eyes but Fleur didn't want to talk about it and they didn't press.

Sitting at the Ravenclaw table, more questions were asked by her new Ravenclaw friends and she fed them the same story. Breakfast had already been laid onto the table but she didn't feel hungry. She did have to eat though due to the forcing from Gabrielle and Alexia who were seated beside her, flanking her and making sure she was eating.

For the whole of the meal, she didn't look at the Gryffindor table at all. She just couldn't. She had used all her courage yesterday and the day before to approach the brunette and the outcome had sucked all wind from her sails. She felt bone weary. Shaking her head, she tried to shake out the fogginess in her head.

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At the Gryffindor table, Hermione was faring no better with her breakfast. She had nibbled a little bit on her eggs but had stopped when she felt them settle heavily in her stomach. She had been staring at the blonde all the time and yet the blonde hadn't looked at her. For every meal that they had attended in the Great Hall, the blonde had at least glanced at her once and smiled, even if Hermione hadn't returned the smile. Today, there was none, not a glance, not a smile, nothing. She could still see from where she was, the puffy and bloodshot eyes along with the slumped shoulders. She hated herself because she knew she was the cause of it. She was observing how the tall darker blonde girl next to Fleur was urging her to eat while a smaller copy of Fleur was putting more food onto Fleur's plate. Hermione wanted to go apologise but she didn't want to do in front of everyone.

She looked on as the blonde pushed her plate away and argued with the two girls beside her. The blonde then took out a piece of parchment and a quill and scribbled something.

As the tables were cleared, Hermione urged her friends to go to class, claiming she would be following them shortly. She hoped that she could catch Fleur with a smaller entourage and surprisingly enough, the blonde stood up and walked in the opposite direction to her friends. Zigzagging through the current of students that were going against her, Hermione followed Fleur but stopped when she realised that the blonde had stopped in front of the Goblet of Fire and was watching it intently. Her breath caught in her throat and suddenly, Hermione felt a wave of fear crashed into her body.

She watched as the blonde girl lifted the piece of parchment she had scribbled on earlier, closer to the blue flames and Hermione wanted to scream NO! Yet the word caught inside her throat, lodging there permanently as she watched, with unexplained horror, the blue flames lick the blonde's fingers and swallow the parchment.

After the tournament had been announced, Hermione had gone into the library to do some research on the competition and had found horrible things. She didn't get how people could think of such a barbaric event as legendary. People had died! Ron had been so excited to put his name in the Goblet. She had pleaded Ron not to. Why play with death? Hadn't they barely escaped it so many times since they came to Hogwarts? But the redhead hadn't listened and she had watched helplessly as the blue flames ate up his name. She feared for him but yet the fear that she had felt for her boyfriend felt like nothing compared to the unexpected terror that had gripped her heart as she had watched Fleur enter her name into the Goblet of Fire. _What is happening to me? _She felt dizzy and the hall started swaying around her. Trying to keep her balance, she didn't feel her bag slip off her shoulder nor did she hear the sound it made as it fell onto the floor. All she felt was herself falling as darkness crept into her vision and something warm, wrap around her waist and neck.

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I am extremely pleased with the amount of people that have read, followed and reviewed this story for just one chapter! Thank you all!

I know you all are amazed at having such a quick update, ain't you? Well, I always get super excited when I start writing a story, it is afterwards that I start getting lazy and slow down :P

**There is a game today! _Ultimate Charms by Anaquinn Dyagronn _**The author name here is a word/name play! The Y is an I, I used Y because it makes the name cooler! :D

**For 3 names. (5 letters ) = (6 letters) (5 letters) HINT : GLEE and Ultimate Charms!**

I know I made it glaringly obvious but hey, it's just the second chapter, we start small! Give me your answers! Until then, see you next time. Do not forget to review and tell me how you feel about this chapter, wether you like it or love it or totally the opposite.

~ Sky

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**Response to Reviewers:**

******JMOBrien: **_I'm happy you liked the start. :D Tell me how you feel about this chapter. :)_

**__****Guest: **___I did! :D Kept going and posted a second chapter, tell me if you liked it._

******GISA103: **_Thanks! How do you find this second chapter? Is it good as well? :D_

_**elizabeth. mary .stark : **_Working_ on it! :D See? I already posted a second chapter! What do you think about it? (put the spaces between your names because fanfiction kept chopping them when I wrote them right -.- )_

_**TeenyTinyIrishPerson : **__Welcome! You don't like Ron! It makes me happy to have a fellow in my club! :D I had no problem with him in the early movies but then JKR coupled him with Hermione (who is my favourite character in HP) and that was sacrilege! Since then I do not like him (Stay away from Hermione, Ron!)_

******nas: **_Ron has always been irritating! But I'm sorry, I can't fulfil your wish. I don't know how the story is going to proceed yet. :/ I mean if I am going to break them up or just blast Ron to oblivion :P Even if I do break them up, I have to think of the how, why, where? Writer's work is just hard work, too many questions -.-_

**chaosrin**_**: **I'm happy that you liked it! I wish it had been there in the real movie. So much better than the girly act -.- Your review sparked a moment of brilliance in me and now I have the perfect plot for one of the tasks! I know it is a long way away but still, thanks for that spark! I will hope it will satisfy you!_

**tuxjim:** _Thank you for such a tremendous support! It made me really happy! __:D _I love when readers tell me what exactly they liked in the story. I'm pleased that you are satisfied with the depiction and interactions of the characters! There's more to come! You were lucky to be asking for more when I was just putting finishing touches on my second chapter! Enjoy ;) Also thanks for the other reviews in my other story! I'm having a writer block with that one :P but a blast with this one. I can't stop writing xD Keep sending your reviews! It gives me encouragement to keep writing. Somedays writers need a push or a kick in the ass, the reviews do that :P


	3. New Friend and Crazy Family

**A/N: Alright! So people, here is the third chapter. I have had reviews where people are talking about the weird behaviour of Hermione and also the angst in the story. Well, for Hermione's behaviour, the explanation will come in this chapter and in the next chapters perhaps. As for the angst, I'm sorry (T_T) I am an angsty person! Lol! I love angst, I have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and add it anywhere I can :P I don't think you will be able to escape it. I cannot remove it from my work because then I have no idea what to write and i will have to erase all the drafts that I already have, leading me into rewriting chapters entirely, changing the story in itself and leading me to having writer block because it is not the way I have it planned. So please, embrace the angst, hope it doesn't stop you from reading my work.**

**Next thing I want you to know is there is going to be crazy switching in terms of moods, behaviours etc in this story. I am just going with the flow, alright. I have written a lot already, I'm already on Chapter 4 and I have been writing things that come into my mind. If you find that the story doesn't flow properly, I am sorry. I cannot change it right now. I am more moving forward onto the story than revising each chapter. Maybe I'll do the revision after I complete the whole story but it is not going to happen now. Revising a story takes too much time that I do not have and I do believe most of you would like to go forward in the story instead of waiting till I perfect every chapter. I'll stop my rambling and let you guys move onto the reading :)**

**A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL REVIEWERS! YOU INSPIRE ME!**

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**...New Friend and Crazy Family...**

Fleur had turned when she heard a thud behind her but she had never expected to see the brunette she was so fond of, swaying before collapsing. Thank god, she was athletic and had reacted fast enough to catch the falling girl or Hermione could have cracked her head onto the hard floor. With panic, heart thudding inside her chest, she lifted the girl into her arms and ran through the hallways to the Hospital Wing.

Madam Pomfrey had come to help her as soon as she had burst, frantic, into the infirmary, depositing Hermione gently onto a bed. After Fleur explained everything while Madam Pomfrey did a diagnostic spell, the Head Nurse told her that Hermione had just fainted and that it was not serious. Calming her racing heartbeats, Fleur thanked the nurse and turned to examine the unconscious girl on the bed. She wanted to stay by Hermione's side till she woke up, the Veela in her was demanding for it but she knew she couldn't… she had classes and even if she skipped them, Hermione wouldn't take kindly to having her there. She hates me, remember?

Looking at the peaceful face of the brunette, her chestnut hair splayed onto the white pillow she was resting on, Fleur felt the intense love surge in her heart. This girl was her mate… someone she already loved more than anything yet someone who didn't love her at all, barely even tolerated her presence…maybe even outright hated her. She felt like she would never be able to be with her 'Ermione and the fact was hard to swallow. It felt like something was permanently lodged in her throat. Blinking to clear her misting eyes, Fleur leaned forward and cupped the Gryffindor's cheek in her hand, stroking the supple and slightly rosy skin with her thumb before tucking an errant lock of brown hair behind a cute pink ear in which she choked "Je t'aime, mon amour". Bending down, she deposited a sweet kiss onto the soft cheek in front of her, one tear escaping her eyelid and rolling off her nose before plopping itself gently on Hermione's soft skin. Wiping it gently with her trembling fingers, she deposited another kiss on the girl's forehead and painfully tore herself from the brunette, walking out of the place, not looking back.

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**At The Infirmary…**

When Hermione came back to consciousness, she felt disoriented. It took her a few seconds to realise she was in the Infirmary. The smell of the different types of potions assaulting her nostrils. Madam Pomfrey, seeing her charge awake, came to check on her.

"How are you feeling, child?" queried the Head Nurse.

"Uhm, I'm feeling a bit confused, what happened?" asked Hermione, she had no recollection of what had transpired.

"You fell unconscious in the Great Hall, my girl and luckily, Miss Delacour caught before you hurt yourself and carried you here. I have checked you and there is nothing wrong so it might be just a simple case of fatigue, stress or not eating properly." Hermione nodded at that, "I suggest you take it easy for the rest of the day. You have been excused from today's classes, ok?" informed Madam Pomfrey, patting the girl on the knee.

Hermione nodded again before swinging her feet off the bed and stepping down. She sat on a nearby chair, putting on her black shoes and tying her laces.

"Here, you dropped your bag in the halls and one of the elves brought it back" said the Nurse, handing a brown leather bag over to the girl.

Securing her bag strap over her shoulder, Hermione thanked the nurse before walking back to her dorm. It didn't take long for her to get to the Gryffindor tower. The hallways were clear due to classes still going on. When she arrived in front of the Portrait, she quickly gave the password and walked to her room.

Her room was a single one. She preferred it that way. She had always felt lost living with other girls, for all they talked about were boys, make-up and things she didn't really care about. She had then applied for a single room.

The room was small yet cosy, with knick-knacks placed around. She had the muggle pictures of her and her parents along with some wizard pictures of her with her friends hung onto the wall. A large dark wood wardrobe was propped against the side wall with a large bookcase next to it, almost bursting with books. Then, there was her bedside table beside her pillow and also her chest, sitting at the foot of her four post bed. The bed itself was in Gryffindor colours, with the curtains, sheets, blanket and pillows all in crimson.

Rummaging through the chest, she pulled out her silky dark blue PJs with stars on them that her parents had gifted her when she had gone back home for the holidays. Changing into them Hermione climbed into her bed, pulling her blanked up to her chin and tried to remember what happened.

'I was in the hall…Oh, trying to reach Fleur and… OH NO!' Hermione jerked upright at that, 'She had entered her name into the Goblet and I had felt such a bad feeling!' She ran her hand in her unruly hair, confused as to why she had felt that way, 'Why? I don't understand why. Madam Pomfrey said she caught me in my fall and carried me to the Infirmary…' The realisation that she had been carried in the arms of the blonde made her face heat up a little bit. 'She must be strong to carry me so easily.'

Settling herself against her headboard, Hermione grabbed one of her crimson pillows and hugged it to her chest. She thought back at her outburst in the library. She had disliked the blonde since the start, for no reason… 'Or was it even dislike? I just felt strange around her and didn't know why...' She didn't know why she had gotten angry with the blonde. Normally she gets really happy when someone gets interested in her work. The blonde had just asked more on what they had been writing. She would have gotten into a long explanation about the intricacies of her potion, had it been someone else.

The outburst had been so out of character. She had just lashed out without any provocation or anything. She felt ashamed of herself. The fact that she was feeling strange around the blonde confused her and not finding answers as to why, frustrated her to no end. 'Maybe that's what made me lash out… It still doesn't excuse my behaviour though.' The shocked face of Fleur and Harry had been like a bucket of ice water which had brought her back to Earth, making her realise how weirdly and rudely she was behaving. She really needed to apologise to the kind French, make the blonde understand that she was not like that, she was not vicious and mean. That she didn't understand why she had behaved that way and she would make sure that she never did it again. Her eyes started to feel heavy as her thoughts swam around in her mind. Hermione laid herself back onto her soft mattress, pulling her discarded blanket back onto her body and soon, she was dozing calmly.

ᴥ

Fleur had been to classes for the whole morning and then went to have lunch in the Great Hall. She had been worried when she noticed the absence of the Gryffindor at her usual place. 'Madame Pomfrey iz wiz her, she iz fine.' She reasoned, concentrating on finishing her food.

She didn't have any classes in the afternoon so after lunch, she took her time walking back to the carriage. While hiking back, the ground soggy under her feet because of the morning drizzle, she looked at the vast expanse that was the Hogwarts grounds and felt herself pulled towards the lake. She didn't resist it. That's how she found herself seated at the place she had shed her tears yesterday, thinking about Hermione. This time, she spelled a drying charm onto the ground, removing its sogginess and ridding the grass of the dew. Seating herself, she took a deep breath. She had been very affected by the events from yesterday and had felt out of control. Today she was feeling more like herself, because she had had the whole night to get herself under control. Her behaviour now made sense to her since Veelas are known to have fluctuating moods and heightened emotions, when they find their mate, which takes around one month or two to get better. Veelas can also feel strong emotions coming off their mates.

After Hermione's outburst, the immense pain she had felt had been a clear clue to how much she loved the brunette already. In that moment she had finally realised that she was in love with the only person she would ever love, but she had gotten hurt by her love at the same time. The pain had actually felt not only emotional but physical. Blame Veelas heightened emotions for that. She had felt the wave of anger and dislike coming from Hermione and it had affected her a lot. That's how she had found herself huddled here, shedding silent tears. Her grand-mère had told her that mates also feel the heightened emotions for some time when their Veela is close. Could that have affected Hermione? Intensifying her annoyance at the blonde into dislike maybe? Fleur wasn't sure.

She had been confused since seeing Hermione. Her heart had fallen in love and it had happened so fast that she hadn't had the time to wrap her mind around it. She had been so scared to approach the brunette, her heart telling her to go closer while her mind was screaming for her to run away. She had felt stuck in between a rock and a hard place. That could also be due to the Veela inside her, intensifying the confusion more than what it was and making her doubt and stumble around.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she got up, dusted her clothes and walked to the carriage. She still felt a slight pain in her chest, like an ache that she couldn't shake off. That was the side effects of being Veela and getting hurt by their mate. It was painful, lead to occasional mood swings and stress. Not attaining their mate's love is more dreadful, it is like a disease slowly eating your body from inside out. Now that she had had the time to come in terms with what was happening with her, Fleur felt more confident. She would take some time to get over the hurt and try with the beautiful brunette again, maybe she'll have a better chance then, because she would be going about it with a clear head. She will not give up so easily and will go through this with as much determination, courage and dignity she could muster, like a true Veela and a true Delacour.

ᴥ

Back at the carriage, Fleur met with Alexia who had given her enough space but had decided that she should at least try to cheer up her cousin. Walking to their weapon closet, she picked up two shotguns, throwing one at Fleur who caught it easily, eyes questioning.

"**Viens avec moi. On a rien fait depuis un certain temps. Allons faire des exercices de tir.**" [Come with me. We haven't done much for a while. Let's go target practice.] Said Alexia, strapping her gun on her back before opening the door and walking outside.

"**D'accord.**" [Alright.] Replied Fleur, following her cousin outside.

Alexia looked for a clear spot and found a nice plain that would work nicely. Pulling out her wand, she spelled a clay target shooter, a distance away from them. Fleur, the meanwhile, took the time to check her weapon. Magical guns did not take physical bullets, they simply used magic but instead of spells, they shot out, concentrated bursts of magic, the type depending on its shooter's magic input. There was incendiary, explosive, acidic, frost and many more types of bursts that could be used. The fact that the weapons shoot concentrated magic produces lots of recoil, which meant that it required a lot of skills to aim properly.

"**Les cibles d'argile rouges sont la tienne, moi je prends bleu. Tu veux courir ou être sur place?**" [Red clay targets are yours, I'm taking blue. You want to run or stay still?] asked Alexia. Each target were worth ten points and shooting your opponent's target was minus twenty.

"**Courir. Je sens que j'ai beaucoup d'énergie à bruler.**" [Running, I feel like I have a lot of energy to burn.] Said Fleur, already feeling the adrenaline rushing in her blood.

And soon enough, they were running all around the place, shooting the coloured enchanted clay targets that were being shot randomly into the air, swerving and picking up speed by magic. The girls were sliding all over the muddy ground. Loud splat were heard as they slipped and tumbled into the mud, sputtering as they tried to spit whatever went into their mouth. The air was filled with sounds of gunshots and exploding clay, the squishing of boots onto the soggy ground and a pair of laughter, with shrieks when they slipped and fell down.

An hour and a half later, Fleur was panting heavily, soaked to the bones and covered in mud, still giggling with her equally soaked and muddy cousin. She was feeling a lot better. No one even cared about the score. Alexia grinned at the relaxed face of her cousin, her job was done.

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A few hours later, Hermione was woken up by Ginny who had come to check on her.

"Hey, wake up." Said the red-head, shaking Hermione a little.

"Hmm?" Hermione murmured as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She felt disorientated for a few minutes before she realised that she was in her bed, tangled in her red blanket.

"It's dinner time. You might want to get something to eat. Come on." Said Ginny, helping her off the bed. Hermione only took a few minutes to freshen up, wearing a simple red shirt and her favourite blue jeans. She quickly slipped on her white sneakers before she and Ginny descended the Grand Staircase together.

As soon as Hermione entered the Great Hall, she spotted Fleur already seated at the Ravenclaw table, animatedly talking to the blondes she was sitting next to. She took her seat at the Gryffindor table, keeping her eyes on the blonde and was pleased to see her eating dinner. At least she is eating. She took the example and filled her plate with food. Her nap had made her hungry, if you listened to her grumbling stomach. She had missed lunch.

The dinner itself was pleasant, with light conversation with Harry and Ron, mostly because they kept talking about the first Quidditch match taking place tomorrow, Slytherin versus Beauxbatons and they were trying to guess who were in the Beauxbatons team.

When dinner was over, Hermione made her mind and took off in a run towards the Great Oak doors, ignoring Ron calling after her. She was trying to catch up with Fleur, who had just gone through the huge doors.

"Fleur!" she called, trying to pass through the small gaps in the throngs of students around her, she pushed and shoved till she found herself, in the castle courtyard, "Fleur!"

Hearing her name being called out, Fleur turned around and was shocked to see Hermione rushing towards her. She waited for the girl to reach her, trying to understand what the Gryffindor could be calling her for.

"Fleur…" panted Hermione heavily as she stopped in front of the blonde. She hunched a little bit, trying to catch her breath. Fleur stood silently, patiently waiting.

"Can I speak with you in private?" asked Hermione. While the courtyard was dark, illuminated by only a few torches on the stone walls, she felt the need to find a more secluded place.

"Sure Mademoiselle Granger. It iz still early and I waz going to take a walk to ze lake. Would you like to accompany me?" asked Fleur politely, before she focused her gaze at the sky. It was clear tonight, the stars glittering like diamonds against the dark blue canvas.

Hermione nodded, stung a little bit that the French girl had reverted back to calling her Mademoiselle Granger. They walked silently to the lake, which looked silent and peaceful at this time of the night. There was a chilly breeze whiffling around and Hermione shivered. She was still in her casual clothes and hadn't taken a cloak with her, not foreseeing that she would be going outside. She was shaken out of her musing by a heavy weight on her shoulders. Turning, she realised that Fleur had taken off her blue Beauxbatons cloak and wrapped it onto her shoulders.

"Fleur, there is no need…" she started to protest.

"Take it. It iz fine." Insisted the blonde, her face neutral but her voice commanding, clearly saying that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Hermione reluctantly nodded, pulling the cloak tighter around her and they continued their journey towards the lake. Hermione, looking at the blonde from the corner of her eyes. She noticed how the blonde was a few inches taller than her and how she walked with grace and authority.

They both sat on a wide fallen trunk, which was close enough to the lake that they could hear and see the water lapping gently onto the pebbly shore. Fleur took out her wand and spelled out a warming spell which enveloped Hermione like a blanket of comfort. She then conjured a few flames around them to dissipate the darkness, projecting a soft golden glow around. After a few minutes of quietness other than the sounds of the wind blowing around them and the movement of the water in the lake, Hermione started to fidget, not knowing how to start her apology. It would seem that even with all her planning, her courage was failing her at the moment.

"You fainted earlier. Are you ok now?" Fleur broke the silence, scanning the pale face in front of her with concern. The brunette looked small in her cloak and had been looking so lost since they sat down that Fleur felt the need to help her by breaking the silence.

The sincerity of the concern reflected in the cerulean orbs in front of her, amazed her and made her feel even guiltier with the way she had treated the French.

"I am fine." She replied, eyeing the bark texture beside her while twisting her hands on her lap, "Uhm, thank you for the book, no one has even given me a gift like that before."

"I am 'appy that you liked it." Smiled Fleur, content that, even if the girl didn't like her, she had appreciated the gift.

"I…I shall return it to you as soon as I finish with it." Promised Hermione, not looking at the blonde, "From the state it is in, it looks like it is one of your favourite books. I don't need to keep it. I'll study it and return it to you."

Shaking her head, "Zere is no need to return it. It iz indeed one of my favourite books. The spells in it are very difficult but amazing. It will take you some time to finish it all. I wanted you to 'ave it. So you can keep it." Fleur replied.

"I also want to apologise…" taking a deep breath, she continued in a whisper, voice laced with regret yet determination, "I am sorry for the way I have treated you. I'm so sorry… I don't know why I behaved that way. I've never behaved like that before. It makes no sense! I'm so sorr…" she apologised sincerely as tears fell from her eyes, the guilt she felt crushing her like a giant sitting on her chest. Feeling a warmth settle on her cheeks, she lifted her gaze to realise that Fleur had cupped her cheeks with both hands and was wiping her tears gently with thumbs.

"It iz ok." whispered Fleur, her lilting voice laced with warmth and comfort that washed over Hermione. Hermione's usual chocolate eyes had changed into caramel with gold flecks in them due to the glow of the flames and the view of them moist with tears broke Fleur's heart "Waz it something I did? "Fleur asked hesitantly.

Hermione shook her head, "No, you didn't do anything to me. You have been kind and polite since the start. I don't know what caused my outburst. Believe me Fleur, I have never behaved that way before." urged Hermione, wanting the blonde to believe her.

"I believe you." Replied the blonde, nodding gently. The blonde knew that the brunette was one of the kindest people. She has seen the brunette's S.P.E.W campaign and the interaction of the Gryffindor with others and that was why she thought she must have done something to upset such a gentle soul.

Hermione nodded slightly in response. She didn't know what to say next. She hadn't expected her apology to keep accepted so swiftly and hadn't thought the blonde would believe her so easily. She tried to reign her tears in, blinking to clear her hazy vision, till it became clearer and she suddenly realised how close Fleur was to her, the blonde hair framing the fair face, small wisps of it fluttering in the breeze, the flames giving it a glow, making it look like spun gold. The usual blue eyes were darker, copying the colour the sky was at that moment, midnight blue and yet they were so clear that they reflected the dancing flames floating around them, it was like glittering stars in the sky, something that Hermione found mesmerising.

Fleur could not avert her eyes from the goddess in front of her, the golden light making her features stand out. The brown hair like a wild mane around the adorable face. She could feel the brunette's warm breath caressing her face like a flutter. The intelligent eyes, full of knowledge, just lured her, like the song of Sirens. She felt like a helpless sailor being reeled in, knowing deep down, she was so close to crashing on the rocky reefs that she couldn't see due to the fog in her heart. Steeling her nerves, it took her all of herself to put distance between her and the angelic face that was still cupped in her hands. She also tried not to think about the moist rose lips that came into focus as she backed away and removed her hand.

Hermione drew in a sharp breath, she could see the blonde's face moving away from hers and she so wanted to pull it back closer. She didn't know why but it made her feel safe to look at the blue eyes from so close, to see the subtle changes in colour and depth, like small ripples change the surface of water. She acutely felt the loss of warmth as the soft hands left her face. She could see the dark eyes slowly averting themselves, breaking the connection.

Probing her brain to find something to say to bring back the focus of those azure orbs onto her, she blurted out the next thing that came into her mind, "Will you be my friend?" before blushing furiously in embarrassment.

The azure eyes did indeed come back to focus on her, opening wider as if tempting her to peer deeper into them, to look for something hidden inside their depth. The huge smile that erupted on the blonde's face was worth her embarrassment though, it made the blue get a bit lighter and sparkle, like when the moonlight hits the lake just right, silver sparkles, making her eyes look like sapphires.

"Of courze! I would love to be friendz wiz Mademoiselle Granger!" gushed Fleur elatedly, voice breathy, her accent becoming more prominent as she couldn't control her joy. She wants to be my friend! She felt like jumping all over the place or even into the lake!

Hermione beamed at the excitement on the other girl's face, even her voice was bursting with it and couldn't help herself. She threw herself at the blonde, wrapping her arms around her and squeezed tightly. She was so full of happiness! She still felt strange around the blonde but it no more held any of the previous dislike.

Fleur, on the other hand, was really thinking about jumping into the lake. To cool off. She could feel heat seeping into every spot that Hermione was in contact with. The air was filled with the scent of honey, lavender and parchment. She wrapped her arms around her love and unconsciously burrowed her nose into the bushy chestnut hair in front of her, inhaling deeply.

"Stop calling me Granger then. I'm Hermione" mumbled the brunette, her own nose buried in the collarbone of the blonde. The French girl carried the smell of jasmine and morning dew, it made Hermione feel even stranger, yet not unpleasantly so.

"'Ermione" Fleur whispered reverently into the night, sending an unnoticed shiver down Hermione's spine. They then separated a few minutes later but kept sitting close. They talked for more than half an hour before having to go back to their quarters due to curfew but Hermione didn't leave before extracting a promise of meeting in the library in the afternoon tomorrow and saying sorry again.

They bid each other goodnight, both having huge smiles on their faces as they walked back to their rooms.

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**The Following Day…**

Breakfast was spent by both girls shooting shy glances at each other much to the amusement of Alexia and Gabrielle.

They bugged Fleur so much for details after breakfast that she relented and told them that she has realised that Hermione was indeed her mate and they became friends and she was meeting her later at the library.

"**C'est merveilleux!**" [It's great!], exclaimed Gabrielle in glee. Alexia laughed and thumped her in the back, voicing out her congratulations.

"Nozing happened yet!" said Fleur exasperated.

"**Oh! Tu nous parle en Anglais maintenant?**[Oh! You speak to us in English Now? ] She must 'ave rubbed off you" joked Alexia, Gabrielle laughed.

Blushing furiously, Fleur just huffed and walked to her classes, leaving her laughing cousin and sister behind. Gabrielle, since she was the youngest of the exchange, had different classes from her sister while Alexia being the same age as Fleur, shared the same classes as the lighter blonde. Alexia kept on teasing Fleur all the way to Transfiguration, not stopping even during class which resulted in them getting scolded by McGonagall.

At lunch, more shy glances were exchanged and Fleur suffered more teasing from the two pests. She felt like she was going to stay red all day. The din of the Great Hall was broken by a sharp cry and Fleur looked up to see Artemis glide down to her, a letter grasped between its talons which it dropped on her table before the bird landed in front of her.

She fed little bits of her chicken to her gyrfalcon. Grabbing the envelope, she broke the wax seal bearing the Delacour Crest on it, removing the parchment inside and unfolded it.

ᴥ

**Fleur**

**Tu as rencontré ton partenaire ! Cela me fait énormément de plaisir d'entendre de si bonne nouvelles.**

[You have met your mate! It makes me so happy to hear such good news]

**Comme ta mère et moi te l'avons appris, il faut que tu prennes de la patience. It faut de tu la séduise. Ta mère est très excite et elle t'ordonne de donner plus de détails sur la fille que tu aimes et d'envoyer aussi une photo d'elle.**

[Just the way, your mother and I have taught you, you must have patience. You must woo her. Your mother is very excited and she orders you to give more details on the girl that you love and also to send a photo of her]

**Offre ta bienaimée, de l'amitié, de la sincérité, soit honnête, polit mais ne soit pas hâtive de lui dire toutes les choses sur les Velanes. Les sentiments, ça prend du temps à fleurir. Tu dois être patiente et lui donner du temps. N'oublie pas de lui donner des cadeaux ! J'ai toujours aime des cadeaux. Maintenant que j'y pense, ton grand-père ne me donne plus de cadeaux. Je vais lui dire ma façon de penser!**

[Offer your beloved friendship, sincerity, be honest, polite but do not be hasty to tell her everything about the Veelas. Feelings, they take time to bloom. You have to be patient and give her time. Don't forget to give her gifts. I always liked gifts. Now that I think about it, your grandfather doesn't give me gifts anymore. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!]

**Comme tu le sais, ton corps va entrer dans une nouvelle période de changement. Ta magie ca devenir plus forte, tu vas pouvoir l'utiliser sans ta baguette plus mais fait en attention, il est facile d'épuiser ta source de magie et cela n'est pas bon pour ta santé alors prend soin de toi. Je vais t'envoyer quelque de nos livres sur la vie et les coutumes des Velanes. Tu les donneras à ta belle quand elle sera prête. Prend soin de toi et n'oublie pas de nous envoyer cette photo. On est impatiente ! J'ai hâte d'avoir des arrière-petits-enfants !**

[As you know, your body is going to go through a new period of change. Your magic is going to become more powerful, you'll be able to use it without your wand more but beware, it is easy to deplete your source of magic and that is not good for your health so take care of yourself. I am going to send you a few of our books on the life and customs of the Veelas. You will give them to your beautiful when she will be ready. Take care of yourself and don't forget to send us that photo. We are impatient! I'm looking forward to have great grandchildren! ]

**Grand-Mère**

[Grandmother]

ᴥ

There was more written after that and she continued reading,

ᴥ

**Oh ma Fleur, ma petite fille, je suis si heureuse que tu as trouvé ton amour! C'est l'heure de déclencher ton charme naturel que tu as hérité de moi, bien sûr !**

[Oh my Fleur, my daughter, I am so happy that you have found your love! It's time for you to launch your natural charm that you have inherited from me, of course!]

**Ton père est si content d'entendre que tu es tombé amoureuse d'une fille ! Il dit qu'il a toujours eu peur que ton amour serait un garçon et que la racaille ferait tomber sa petite fille enceinte, dans les prochaines semaines après que tu l'aurais rencontré. Je ne comprends pas ton père. Nous avons de la magie, c'est toujours possible mêmes si tu es avec une fille.**

[Your father is so happy to hear that you have fallen in love with a girl! He says he has always been afraid that your love would be a boy and that the vermin would make his daughter fall pregnant in the next weeks after you would have met him. I do not understand your father. We have magic, it is still possible even if you are with a girl. ]

**J'exige une photo! Et aussi des nouvelles régulières de comment passe ta séduction de ta bien-aimée! Je suis sure que ça ira à merveille, parce que tu es ma fille, bien sûr !**

[I demand a photo! And also regular news on how the seduction of your beloved is going! I'm sure it will go marvellously, because you are my daughter, of course!]

**Je suis impatiente ! Bonne chance et bisous mon amour ! Maman et Papa sont fiers de toi !**

[I am impatient! Good luck and kisses for you, my love! Mom and Dad are proud of you! ]

ᴥ

All throughout the reading of her mother's part of the letter, her eyebrows had been climbing up her face. Hearing snickering behind her, she turned to find that Alexia and Gabrielle had been reading the letter over her shoulder.

"**Grand-mère et tantine Apolline sont trop drôles!**" Said Alexia, bursting into laughter. [Grandmother and aunty Apolline are too funny!]

"**Je comprends toujours pas comment elles sont si différentes de nous. Elles ont une personnalité, hmm, je dirais plutôt flamboyante.**" Said Gabrielle, shaking her head in exasperation. [I still don't understand how they are so different from us. They have a personality, hmm, I would say, rather flamboyant]

Fleur nodded in agreement. "**Elles ont toujours était comme ça… Ma mère parle de grossesse et grand-mère parle d'arrière-petits-enfants en une seule lettre! Tuer moi, s'il vous plait!** " [They have always been like that… My mother talks about pregnancy and grandmother talks about great grandchildren in just one letter! Kill me please!], She groaned in mortification, burying her face in the parchment.

Alexia and Gabrielle laughed to tears, patting the poor Fleur on her head.

ᴥ

* * *

**Ze end! :P Nope, not yet. The two girls are confused as hell! Playing hot and cold with people! So mean! Their personality change so quickly, you would think they are bipolar or have split personality or something! But it is not ze case. It is the Veela blood in herself that affects Fleur and Hermione is affected by the Veela Thrall. We'll see how long it takes for both of them to get used to it and return to normal.**

**Everyone who answered: Quinn, Dianna Agron! Congratulation! I'm not a glee fan, because it makes no sense to me, the Rachel with Finn thing made me run away but I listen to the songs online and also read as much Faberry as I can. I love the Lion Quinn! **

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do not forget to review! Or I get angsty :P**

* * *

**Response to Reviewers:**

AwesomeKrys1993 : Lol! Sorry, had to go :P I know this is late but here is it! Your next chapter!

TeenyTinyIrishPerson : I don't like Ron, he is a git. I do not hate Krum but I need him to be a villain here so if you find him creepy already, it means I am writing this right! :D

Swarm012 : I appreciate your review :) But as the author, I went into Fleur's mind and thought about how I would react if I fell in love in a split second and that person would be my forever one and only. I think my brain couldn't handle it, my feelings went all over the place. Maybe that's why I portraited it that way. After all, feelings are different for different people in different situations. For me, I like drama and angst so it might be why it is portrayed that way. My reaction would have been like that. Hermione on the other side is affected by Fleur's thrall so her reactions were unstable at that point.

elizabethmarystark: I'm working on the depth, it might not be obvious in the next few chapters but it will build up slowly. Hope you like this chapter.

tuxjim : Hey, I loved your review! Can't wait to hear what you have to say on this chapter. It is not a great one, more like a link between Chapter 2 and Chapter 4 but I would still love to hear your opinions. :D

azwildcats : I am happy you have the same problem as me! Monogamy rules! I know Fleurmione is a dying breed which is what made me contribute to this couple with this story. I hope a lot more authors do the same :)

piccolodian: I think Hermione is hot when she is angry :P Haha! Yeah a LOT of making up to do ;)

JMOBrien : Rest assured, she won't be mean anymore.

V: Do not throw books at Hermione, she might like it! xD Haha! I hate Ron! We need to get rid of him. Eat him like you ate that zebra, can't say it will taste good though :P

Jaely : FABERRY ALL THE WAYY! FABABIES EVERY DAYY! :P Lol, that's the only cheerleading I'll ever do xD

yuri nanofate : Sometimes love can be cruel... Love Nanofate too!

MomoNatic : I'm like you. I feel ill when Fleur is with Bill or Hermione is with Ron or Ginny. No redheads for Hermione please. I wish I could just change the names in the other fanfics to Hermione and Fleur but it doesn't work! sniff (T_T)

chaosrin: It doesn't look fast to me. You have to take into consideration the speed at which Fleurr falls in love. Take into consideration the Veela part of her. But I hope you still enjoy this chapter and the story overall :)

QueenBofMckinley: Updated! Tell me how you like this chapter! Fleurmione and Faberry! Ahh, bliss!

Goven : Forgive Hermione, she is confused at the moment! Hope you liked this chapter, I rectified everything :P

cburton1995 : Update Done! Tell me what you think of it!

knightofangst: I love angst, all my stories have it. By your name, it seems you like it as well. You won't be able to escape it in anything I write! :P

MemoryOfMusic : I don't like when people portrait her as always icy. She took care of Hermione in Shell Cottage, she is kind and has feelings!

sgtranglin : Yeah, JKR was wrong. Hermione with Ron is toxic. It just doesn't work, Ron doesn't know how to appreciate her, he cannot even hold a conversation with her without saying something stupid or pissing her off. I do not like Ron.

Soul-Speaker : It feels like I'm cheating when I read the characters in different pairings so I just stop reading it altogether. Too painful :(

Icy-Windbreeze : You just said it. Drastic stuff happening! Joking, it is the Veela thrall affecting her.

Jemjo storys : She has the Veela thrall affecting her. It will get better soon :)

Faberry: There you go! Happier moments! Dianna Agron is awesome! Lion Quinn Rules the Faberry Kingdom! :D

Zelda's Hero: All peace has been restored in the Fleurmione Kingdom! :D


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